


Trust Me

by CannedBread



Category: Horizon: Zero Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Adventure, Bad Ideas, Chargers, F/M, Friendship, HZD, Machines, Override - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-07-21
Packaged: 2019-06-14 04:49:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15381000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CannedBread/pseuds/CannedBread
Summary: Erend is a sucker for a pretty girl





	Trust Me

“Just trust me.”

Aloy’s words were ringing in his ears as Erend watched her slipping away through the tall grass. How was she always so calm about these things? Every ridiculous, dangerous, stupid thing, she didn’t even blink. There were plenty of ways in which she reminded him of Ersa but she was also something else entirely. The flame-haired Nora they told stories about from the Sacred lands to Sunfall. 

The herd of Chargers hadn’t spotted them yet. Aloy had made sure of that. Her path was winding and seemingly random, but he’d learned to trust her second sight. Sure enough, she’d gotten them close without a single one so much as glancing in their direction. One stood apart from the rest and that’s where she was headed. 

“Aloy,” he hissed. “This is crazy.”

She’d glared at him and waved for him to hush. He wasn’t really in a position to argue, so he shut his mouth and followed until she told him to stop. Erend glanced around, taking a count of how many machines there were. At his best, he could take down maybe three close like this. But if the whole herd came at them, there wasn’t much they could do but run and hope. How did she talk him in to this?

Aloy wasn’t waiting though, she crept forward while he watched, cursing under his breath. She was faster than him and she could handle herself, but he gripped his hammer all the same. If it all went sideways, he wanted to be prepared. 

The Charger turned, leaving it’s back open to her. Erend half expected her to attack it. Instead, she stepped forward and poked at it with the end of her spear. The Charger froze and, after a moment, it seemed to calm. He wanted to call out to Aloy to ask what she was doing, but that wouldn’t end well for anyone. Though his ability to stay quiet was severely tested as he watched the Nora climb on to the Charger’s back.

Fire and spit, she was going to get them both killed. Erend braced for the Charger to kick her off. Any second. But rather than throwing her and sending the whole herd running at them, the Charger stood waiting for a command. Aloy turned it to face him, the blue light shining through the grass. 

Erend blinked at her, not sure how to even process what was happening. His shock was interrupted, however. The rest of the Chargers had begun to notice the change in Aloy’s new mount and they were not impressed. 

“This is how I die,” he groaned. “Lead to my death by a pretty girl.”

Aloy wasn’t ready to die, not by these machines in this field. She gave the Charger a kick and it started toward where Erend was hiding. Erend popped up out of the grass, not sure what to do. 

“Come on!” She shouted, reaching out her hand. 

She couldn’t be serious. 

No, she was definitely serious. 

“Aloy…” He grabbed her hand because no other course of action seemed any less stupid. Before he really knew what was happening, she’d helped pull him up on to the back of the Charger. Erend was sure he’d been wrong. He wasn’t going to die, trampled to death. He was going to die riding a machine like an idiot. He didn’t even know what to hold on to, and there she was kicking the thing to go faster. “ALOY!”

Was she laughing? She was laughing. He was going to die and she was laughing. “I told you!” She shouted. “Hang on!”

“Hang on? This is crazy!” Erend looked back. To her credit, they were putting some distance between themselves and the angry Chargers. 

“You love it!” Aloy grinned back at him over her shoulder.


End file.
